At last, here’s the output from Adam Murphy’s comic drawing weekend at the Ashmolean. Took a bit of finishing and, though the festooned bass viol appears to be of wildly variable size, I’m fairly pleased with the result.

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Transcript: Page 1

Ladies — this has gone too far!
I need another bass viol — if we’re to play the five part Byrd fantasia!
Hower are you going to do that on /your/ pension, Susie dear?
Well spotted, Emma. If you’re all ready, I’ll propose a way we can get one…
OLD LADIES in HEIST at the ASHMOLEAN
The “Somerset” bass — the only one of its kind
Unfortunately, it’s kept in the most secure museum in the world…

Transcript: Page 2

crazy, maybe — but I didn’t do that seismology OU course for nothing!
ZERO HOUR is in three months — Emma, you’re on Chemistry; Laura: Robotics; Eileen — social networks
and Alison… you’ve got a special job — knitting!
3 MONTHS LATER
[under the Ashmolean] Mole Ian – whir dig whir
~STOP~ tick tick
meanwhile in the security control room…
{pretty quiet today. Just how I like it}
[suddenly…] RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
strange – the whole building is shaking! must be an earthquake!
[and in the ladies’ loo…] quake’s /exactly/ on my prediction
Now, come on Laura!

Transcript: Page 3

[Under cover of the quake … breakthrough!] CRASH! CRACK!
{why do they make the cubicles so small?}
{at last — quake’s stopped}
[Eileen’s been busy too…] FLASH MOB! ASHMOLEAN 3pm BRING INSTRUMENTS
[and soon the museum begins to fill up]
[at 3pm all over the museum]
[security are on high alert!]
LADIES
{one more musician isn’t going to be noticed…}
{and here it is}
PRESS
ZZAP {cameras down!}

Transcript: Page 4

Now Emma’s chemistry on the glass…
🙂
this knitted viol on a balloon will cover my tracks for a few minutes [clingfilm]
{now, nonchalantly!}
hey — you!
{made it!}
one short bus ride later…
Ladies! I’m home!

Transcript: Page 5

now for some music!
scrunge! screech! scrape!
No! No! No!
hey! this “viol” is made of papier mache!
~~ flutter ~~
Beat you to it, ladies! signed Old Men’s Viol Consort XXX P.S. come round and play Byrd some time!

Adam had us drawing comics inspired by random words this week. I was shocked to get “Darth Vader” and “flying Ninjas” together with the more tractable “an unexpected visitor.” Not being into martial arts films, ninjas have somewhat passed me by, so I substitued vaguely Middle-Eastern warriors. Having seen Star Wars just the once (when it came out) I didn’t remember much about Darth — maybe he isn’t as cuddly as I remember. I left off the panel with the group hug, just in case.

1. (Hello, is that the medieval society?)
2. ~yes sir, it is (I'd like to join, please)
3. ~sorry, we disbanded in 1517 (what a pity)
4. ~I can put you on the waiting list, and if the dark ages begin again...
5. ~we'll send you a letter.
6. ~if we can find anyone who can write